


School Dance

by Neutralfan



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Arya Stark - Freeform, Cute, F/M, First Date, Fluff, Food, Getting Together, Joffery Baratheon mentioned, Jojen is chill, Meddling Friends, Minor Character Death, Minor Joffrey Baratheon/Sansa Stark, Modern AU, Sansa Stark mentiond, School, Secret Crush, bran is in a wheelchair, guy friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-10-05 13:17:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10308848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neutralfan/pseuds/Neutralfan
Summary: Bran is just trying to enjoy his lunch, when his friends confront him on his 'secret crush', causing him to ask one Meera Reed to the school dance.





	

Bran rolled into the cafeteria smiling at the people who moved out of the way as he approached his lunch table.As he pulled up to the table he barely had time to move his torso away from something white being hurled at him. “Tommon, why on earth did you throw a napkin at me?”

“Keep it and hurl it at your sister for me.” The blond replied sullenly, “I had to listen to Joffrey throw a tantrum about her breaking up with him all last night.”

Bran winced, his older sister, Sansa, had finally decided to break it off with the older Barathon, much to the relief of the whole family. But in retrospect, while he did approve of Sansa’s decision, he kinda wished that she’d waited for the weekend to break up with her now ex as then Bran wouldn’t need to deal with Tommon’s reaction.

“Come on Tom even you have to admit that he’s a domestic violence situation waiting to happen.” Tristain said shoving Tabasco covered fries into his mouth. Tommon sighed with gusto, “I know, I know sorry Bran.”

Bran shrugged pulling out his meal from a brown bag, leftovers from last night, as Jojen Reed sat down beside him, “Whatcha got there Bran?”

“Sansa’s tofu stir fry.” Bran shrugged, he often ate whatever Sansa made when she was feeling down, but lately she had gone on a vegan diet, making Bran’s supportive eating an adventure at best. He was more of a pizza and steak guy. Jojen flashed him a sympathetic smile and pulled out his own lunch before neatly switching his own beef macaroni with the tofu stir fry, Bran flashed his friend a grateful smile.

“You two make a lovely couple.” Tristain commented as he poured more Tabasco sauce onto his fries, causing Jojen to grimace, “You’re going to kill yourself with all that sauce, besides Bran is more interested in Meera than me.”

Bran choked a macaroni noodle, Tristain thumped him on the back which helped him to breath but not ease his nerves about what Jojen had just said. “I, what do you mean Joj? Meera’s your sister and-” The two other boys laughed as Bran wracked his brain to try and come up with a way to salvage his sentence. “Bran, we all know you have a thing for her.” Tommon said still tittering.

“Yeah, you’re not very good at hiding it, the way you moon over her when she passes you in the hallways, or the way you duck your head when you’re trying not to be caught looking. Its the little things man, the little things.” Tristain joined once he’d caught his breath.

Bran glanced at Jojen, waiting for the other boy to add his opinion on Bran’s crush, but he remained silent that alone was disquieting. Bran had known Jojen the longest they had grown up together and until the last few months Meera had just been Jojen’s older sister, someone who bossed them around when they were younger. Then when she’d started high school she had gone to an all girls boarding school and hadn’t been around to boss Bran and Jojen around. But things had changed last summer. Jojen and Meera’s mother had been diagnosed with cancer and Meera had enrolled in the local high school to be near to her mother. Bran had gradually become aware that he had a slight crush on Meera, he had thought that he’d kept it all under wraps considering that none of his older siblings had teased him about it, though he hadn’t considered that his best friend might see right through him.

Bran was still trying to figure out a way to get out of this delicate situation when Tommon’s eyes lit up, “Hey Bran, the homecoming dance is next Friday, you should ask Meera to go with you!” Tristain nodded in agreement his mouth full of fries. Bran glared at them both and made a wide gesture at his wheelchair, “And why would I do that? I can’t dance. Period end of sentence.”

“Come on Bran,” Tristain wheedled, “aren’t you the one who keeps telling us that being a paralytic doesn’t stop you from doing what you want. Besides the worst she can say is ‘No’.”

Bran gawked at his friend, “You’re wrong the worst that can happen isn’t her saying ‘No’, its her feeling like she has to say ‘yes’ because she’ll look like a heel for turning down the guy in a wheelchair. I don’t want pity dates.”

“Meera wouldn’t do that Bran.” Jojen said quietly, sticking another bite of stir fry into his mouth.

Bran looked at him, “you can’t be OK with this Jojen, I mean she’s your sister, aren’t you suppose to be reading me the riot act or the bro code or something?” The realization that his friendship with Jojen could also be on the line was not lost on him.

“There’s nothing in the bro code about asking out your friends sister.” Tristain muttered, garnering himself a glare from Tommon, as Tristain had asked the former's sister to the dance next week.

Jojen swallowed his food and looked Bran dead in the eye, “I would be if I didn’t think you’d treat her right.”

Bran gawked at him completely floored, he had never considered that Jojen might approve of him liking his sister, he didn’t know what to do with this information. Jojen though had, had enough of Bran’s gawking and sighed, “Bran out of all the guys that go to this school, you are one of the six that I wouldn’t glare at when they came to pick her up for a date.”

“Wow, high standards much?” Tristain jibed, earning himself another glare from Tommon, both were ignored by Bran and Jojen.

“So are you agreeing with them?” Bran gestured at the other boys, “That I should ask Meera to the dance?”

“I’m saying that if you asked her out at all that I wouldn’t say anything negative, just don’t give me details about what you both get up to and I wont be tempted to strangle you.”

“Bran, Meera just walked in now is your chance, go ask her to the dance.” Tommon said in a hushed tone. Bran froze and looked down into the beef macaroni trying to decide if he should ask Meera out or not. Though she was two years older she was only in his sister Arya’s grade as her birthday was after the cut off date; would she still see Bran as that annoying little kid who’d come around to play. Or would she look at his wheelchair and politely decline as others before had, though they were few. Who would want to go to a dance where their date couldn’t participate, surely she wouldn’t want to spend the entire night sitting with him.

“Bran, for the sake of all that is holy, at least go talk to my sister.” Jojen said exasperated.

Bran took a deep breath and pushed his chair back from the table scanning the room for Meera, just his luck she was sitting with Arya, he couldn’t back out now the others would tease him not to mention Jojen would probably be annoyed with him, having given him his blessing and all.

“Bran stop over thinking and just go ask her.” Bran wasn’t quite sure who had spoken but it managed to shut his brain down and motivated him to move over to where Meera sat, and before he knew it he was a respectful distance from her. Unfortunately he had garnered the attention of the wrong person at the table.

“What’s up Bran?” Arya asked him, “Sansa’s tofu got you looking for edible food?”

Bran’s tongue felt thick as he responded to his sister, “Uh, no Jojen traded with me.” Meera was looking at him now and Bran was sure she could hear his heart that was threatening to beat right out of his chest. “Oh really? I didn’t know he liked tofu.”

Meera laughed at Arya’s comment, “he sure does, he’ll eat it plain if you tell him that’s what’s for dinner. Mom tried adding it into our regular diets once, Dad was not a fan, so that failed quickly.” Both girls laughed and Bran chuckled weakly, wetting his lips before he plunged past the point of no return.

“So, Meera, have you heard about the dance next week?” Bran chastised himself, of course she knew about the dance next week everyone did.

“Yeah, its funny though my other school didn’t have dances, so I just thought I’d skip this one and go see a movie or something instead.”

Bran felt his stomach drop, that wasn’t the response that he’d been expecting, not to mention that Arya was giving him the weirdest look. “Oh, well, what if someone asked you to go, would you go then?”

“Maybe, it would depend on who was asking.” Bran reminded himself to breath, and that the worst thing would be that he’d need to ask his parents to get him transferred to a different school.

“Well then would you go with me?” There he’d done it, he’d asked. Arya gaped at him mouth open exposing her half chewed food, Meera looked, well not repulsed by his question. Which Bran took as a good sign at least. Bran felt as if time had managed to stop before Meera spoke, “Are you being serious or are you asking hypothetically?”

Bran swallowed, “Serous."

“What the-” Arya started, but with a look that Bran could only describe as quelling, Meera silenced her.

“Honestly Bran I’m not interested in going to the dance.” Bran felt his heart sink lower than his stomach, “but if you want we could go see a movie instead.”

Bran blinked, that was not a rejection, not a ‘No’, “Sure, what’s playing?” Well he never claimed to be smooth.

Meera grinned, “Not sure yet, want to decide when we get there? Make it more fun?”

“Uh, sure. What time should I pick you up?”

Meera’s eyebrows raised, “You drive?” Bran winced at the one flaw in his plan, he was still learning how to drive his specialized car and had no license to speak of. “Not yet, I’m working on it.”

“That’s cool, I could drive us.” Meera offered.

“Yeah that works, so around 7?”

“Sure.”

The world seemed to have taken pity upon Bran as just then the bell rang for the next period.

“OK I’ll see you then I guess. I’ve got to get to class now, uh, bye.”

“Looking forward to it Bran. See you later.”

Bran felt as if his chair couldn’t move fast enough towards his next class, he was situated at his desk before he remembered that he’d left his lunch bag behind. He was contemplating the problem when Jojen dropped the bag down on the desk in front of him before gracelessly flopping down into his own. “What’s the verdict?”

“She said no to the dance.” Jojen’s eyebrows furrowed together, “But we are going to a movie instead.” Jojen’s face smoothed out and he nodded. “I don’t think I need to tell you that if you hurt her that I’ll dump you down the longest flight of stairs that I can find, right?”

Bran flinched, “Message received.”

“Good.”

. . . . . .

 

Jojen watched as Bran and Meera entered the reception, smile wide on his face, they were perfect. Bran in a suit and maroon tie, Meera in a cream floor length sleeveless dress that sparkled when she walked. Jojen was proud of them and the part he had played in their relationship.

The couple sat down at the head table and Jojen took his place next to Bran, knowing that before long all eyes would be on him. The wedding had been beautiful, Meera had done a wonderful job, surprisingly single-handedly or near enough. Though her being a wedding planner probably had something to do with it.

Jojen’s attention was brought back to the present when Arya stood up to make her Maid of Honor speech, Jojen as Best Man would follow up with his own shortly. He looked out at the guests specifically at the table where Bran’s parents and his Dad sat, his own mother having passed only a few years before. Everyone looked happy for the newlyweds. Applause brought him out of his musings alerting him to the fact that it was now his turn.

Jojen smiled and stood, “Ladies and Gentlemen, today we are celebrating the union of two people that I care about deeply, I have the privilege of calling the bride sister, and now I can call my best friend brother as a result of a high school dance. A dance that was not attended by either the bride or the groom they instead went to see a movie, and as they say the rest is history. But I can’t help but think that if it hadn’t been for that dance that they skipped, that this strong couple wouldn’t be sitting here. So a toast to high school dances and the Bride and Groom.”

When Jojen sat down he was embraced in a side hug by Bran, “Thank you, Jojen.”

Jojen smiled feeling giddy, but that might be the champagne, he couldn’t think of a better out come to that day in the cafeteria than this.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed, leave a comment below and let me know what yo thought.


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